Nobolt and Round 1

It was raining so hard we thought for sure soccer games would be cancelled so we headed up to Fukuoka to go to Nobolt and Round 1.  I had no idea it would be so crowded, we ended up having to wait an hour to enter.  It was worth it though.

I forgot to take pictures and stole these off google.  So the first one is the ropes course.  It is very very high off the ground and the picture does not show how scary it is.  The fist time we came here Calista did not weigh enough but I guess this time she did because they gave her the wrist band that was the same as mine and the older kids.  So I took her straight to the top.  She was so brave and did amazing.  She did get scared after a couple obstacles so we went back down to level one and worked our way back to the top.  She ended up doing the hardest level with no problem.  It was quite a big deal because even some of the older kids in our family did not enjoy it up there.

The rock climbing area had a lot of options.

Ball pit/trampoline area.

Free fall slide with the jungle gym.

I had to post this picture because I am so proud of myself for doing it.  You have to walk on top of these skyscrapers without holding onto anything.  The top one is the hardest because you don't even have the next one in front of you to grab onto.  It is also very wiggly and extremely high.  It looks so easy but it really is not.  Last time I came I made it to the top but I could only lay on the top one.  Stepping up onto it without anything to hold onto was just too much.

This time I just did it in-spite of my fears and stood on the top one.  It was exciting.  I had to stand there for way longer than I wanted to shouting at Calista to look.  I wanted someone I knew to at least see me and she was the only one around.

We were exhausted after Nobolt, but Tucker had been asking to go to Round 1 and I hate driving up to Fukuoka all the time so we headed over.

It was so crazy in there!  Basically it was so loud and was full of video games.  It also had a sports area where you could use a batting cage and plenty of different things to do.  It was a lot to handle after our already busy morning.

I hate how video games and Manga objectify women.  People think it doesn't matter but it does.  Beatrix played this game for about ten seconds and was already trying to pose like the girl on it.  What kind of message is she getting when she see women depicted that way?  It makes me want to throw up. 

At the end of it we were given 10 coins each to gamble.  I guess it was part of our entrance fee.  Not real money but Round 1 money used on the slot machines.  I ended up investing in that game where you drop in quarter after quarter hoping it makes more quarters fall down.  I won.  Soon the kids joined me and we kept winning.  We all wanted to go home and was going to once our quarters ran out, but it just didn't happen.  We got way to into it. We seriously spent a long time doing it and then just left with the fake money in our pockets and went home.

It was after 7 by the time we left and we needed to shop for dinner the next night because we invited people over.  After that we were still about two hours away from home.  I really think it was too much for everyone because while in the car Beatrix was saying she didn't feel well.  Then she started saying she was going to throw up.  My kids do not normally get car sick and throw up but I had been keeping one bag in the seat pocket behind the drivers seat for this exact situation for years now.  Part of me felt happy and so smart that we were going to need that bag I put there.  I handed Beatrix the bag and she promptly started throwing up into it.  

The next thing I knew Leon started saying he was going to throw up.  I looked at Beatrix and thought about handing him the same bag but it was just too gross.  She even got some throw up on the outside of the bag.  Then I remembered that we had groceries in the back.  I shouted at the kids to get a bag and Scarlett rushed to action.  She turned around and started throwing the groceries out of a bag.  Leon literally threw up in the bag the second after she gave it to him.  He must have been holding it back somehow.  We still had over an hour to go on our drive home and the car smelled so bad after that.

It was such a fun day.  We all had a blast and even the two who were throwing up didn't regret it.

Ninja Villiage

One of the top things the kids wanted to do again was the Ninja Village.  

We channeled our inner ninja's and had a blast.

We prefer to go on an American holiday because both times we did that it was pretty dead in the village.

The show was amazing.  It was a cute but at times intense play done by the ninjas.  Beatrix and Calista were scared at times from the fight scenes.  They play was asking for audience involvement and kept asking us questions in Japanese.  There was only one family there besides us and we didn't really know what was being said.  The girls ninja must have felt more comfortable with english though because sometimes when there was a question for the audience she would repeat it in english.  

At the end of the play the kids got to run up on stage and look for three hidden ninja stars.  It was funny because Calista and Beatrix went straight behind a tapestry, which was also a secret passage way they saw in the play, and didn't come out.  I'm sure there were directions in Japanese to not go into any door or backstage because the other child didn't try anything like that.  After the stars were found by Penelope, Leon, and the other boy, we just kept standing there waiting for Calista and Beatrix to pop out somewhere.  It was an awkward minute because I think the actors wanted us to leave and didn't realize that we were missing two little people.  And we honestly didn't know where they were but we also felt like it would have been rude for us to go backstage looking for them.  So I started shouting their names and they eventually came back out wondering where the ninja stars were because they didn't find any.  

We spend hours there just taking our time and really checking everything out.

We even found a short TV show they were playing that was made inside the village.  It reminded me of the ninja version of Power Rangers.  We watched it while we ate our sandwiches we brought from home.

Beatrix found a spot to spy on people on the floor below.

Scarlett is wearing my hat.  It wasn't part of the costume but my actual gardening hat I got from the garden store.  It is very very light, you can barely feel it on your head.

One thing the kids really liked was the maze house.  You had to find your way out but it was full of secret passage ways.  No one wanted anyone else to show them the way so we spent a long time going through one at a time.  Calista and Beatrix went together but after about five minutes they came back out the front door saying they couldn't figure it out.  I ended up going through with them.  It was so cute watching them trying to find which wall was really a door and such.

I'm glad we went to the water area last.  Calista and Beatrix left the place soaking wet.

Western Most Point

We saw a sign for the western most point of mainland Japan and had to follow it.  We were on our way home from a park and decided we had time for a detour.  

The view was great.  It was worth it.

Running around the Imperial Palace

I had some time in the morning before meeting my friends so I did a couple of laps around the Imperial Palace.  Apparently it is a 5k to go around one time and it is the most popular running rout in Japan.

Anytime you go there are supposed to be joggers you can follow around.  It was true. I saw plenty of people on the sidewalk going at all paces.  It was a nice jog.  Pretty flat without stoplights or fear of getting hit by cars.

The weather was also amazing.  Springtime in Japan is pretty great.

I did get hot and bought a jumbo chocolate waffle ice cream and cc lemon from seven eleven.

It was beautiful.

I had my small suitcase with me so I popped it into a locker in the train station while on my jog.  I accidentally left my hair tie but luckily I found one on the sidewalk once I started my run.  

Afterwards I did my make up at the Disney store with their princess line and met my friends.  I'm really surprised they had make up samples out like that.

Going on this trip made me realize how much I miss Tokyo, the trains and my friends. 

Capsule Hotel

Sleeping in a capsule hotel has been on my bucket list for a while now.  I'm really glad I made the effort to stay in one on my trip up to Tokyo.  I haven't done it sooner because they are not very family friendly, and they are not cheap either.  I stayed in the one located right in the Tokyo airport.  It was about $75 for the night.  I say they are not family friendly because the women and men are separated and you have to pay per person.

Once walking in there was a desk and a small reception area.  I checked in, and was given a bag with a towel, robe, and key.  I was informed my locker and pod number and was told to read the rules, which included no talking and no talking on the phone.  Pretty much, don't make any noise.

Then I went through the door on the right, while the men went through the door on the left.  Immediately inside there were lockers.  I saw people with their suitcases getting their robes on, so I followed suit.

Then I headed to to the shower and brushed my teeth.  

Next I went into another door into the sleeping area with the pods.  About half were closed and half were open.  I arrived around 10 or 11pm.

I had plenty of room in my pod to sit up and move around.  

It had one simple pillow and blanket.

The pod area was dark and I could turn off my individual pod light at anytime.  I was told check out time was at 10am and the weird thing was there were absolutely no windows not even in the reception area so there was no way to mark the time.  The pod area stays dark the entire day (except the couple hours it is closed for cleaning).  I guess so anyone can come sleep in peace even during the daytime.

The pods were also not very secure, there was nothing stopping anyone from going into anyone else's pod.  I think that is the reason for the women being on opposite side of the building from the men.  While it was quiet I could easily hear others climbing in and out of their pods after I was in bed.

It was so bizarre to see other people getting ready and walking around but not acknowledging each other.  Not a single hi or head bow was offered.  I think it felt quite lonely and isolating.  In a way it was so Japanese.  Very efficient, very clean, everyone was respectful to each other to a point of ignoring them.

Nagushiyama Azaleas

Nagushiyama park is breathtaking during azalea season.  I'm so glad I made the effort to bring the kids one day after work.

The roller slide was pretty fun too!

There was barely any children there playing at the park, probably because we went on a week day.  There were several people taking photos.  A few of them asked to take pictures of the kids, others just did it.  I don't mind at all.  It was really picture perfect.  

The only thing that weirded me out was a man was following Beatrix around, taking a picture here and there.  It wasn't that weird until I heard him calling her by name.  We were about an hour away from home and I doubted she would tell someone her name, and even if she did it would have been two quiet and hard for anyone to understand her.  Then I asked Scareltt if she told him Beatrix's name, because she was with them. She said she didn't either and had no idea why he knew her name.  I went up to the man and he told me that his child went to her school and just graduated a couple of weeks ago.  So I guess it makes sense that he knew her name.  Although I did not even recognize his child.  I guess that is what happens when you are the only person with blonde hair at your school.